The urban structure is dictated by a geographical position, one of the most spectacular in a European city. Passau is situated on a spit of land, at the confluence between the Danube, the Inn and the Ilz, each with different coloured waters. The Domplatz lies at the highest point of the city. An advantage, for Passau is threatened by flooding every year. The square takes shape in 1150, and from 1155, due to the donation of the bishop Konrad von Babenberg, it becomes property of the cathedral, with the condition being that clerical houses should be built on its free sides. The 14 buildings which appear thus are affected by the great fires of 1662 and 1680, and then rebuilt by Italian architects in the late baroque style. In 1824, the statue of Emperor Maximilian I of Bavaria is placed in the square. Thus, for the first time in its history, the square becomes a public one and wins the status of official town square. It is redeveloped after 2013. The pavement disappears, replaced with fine gravel, pointing to past historical eras. The lighting is spectacular, one of the most accomplished in Europe. It focuses on the façade of the cathedral, leaving the square and the rest of the buildings in half-light. It is a subtle dark-light game, a game of the past, when cities did not have public lighting, with the future. The effect is that of a scene from a Baroque play